Author: Sal
Vestas Protest: Cranes Being Moved Whilst Still Occupied (photos)
Tuesday, 15th September, 2009 at 6:32 pm, Isle of Wight
Green Issues, Newport, Overseas, Vestas Sit-In
We’ve just been informed from onlookers at the Southampton dockside that the cranes which are being occupied by Vestas protesters are being attempted to be moved whilst campaigners are still locked to them.
We are told that Police are currently allowing the cranes to be moved.
“Jackie Sheedy says she is in real danger of falling unless the cranes are stopped.
Police climbers are attempting to climb up to remove the occupiers who are currently beyond reach.
Jackie has phoned Vestas Venture Keys manager Rob Sauven to warn him that some one may be killed if this wreckless endangerment of peaceful protesters is not stopped.”
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I suggest they get off the cranes then? Simples.
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Rumour has it that activists were not locked to the cranes and by 7 pm after a very controlled police operation all 4 were down and safely in custody.
Another pointless exercise, when will these people realise their actions will cause more damage to the Island’s employment prospects, or do they care?
Be assured the Cambridge ‘champagne socialist’ will not be thinking of the Island when they are back in the comfort of their privileged homes.
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The fact that they turned up in a power boat says it all really..
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These so called protestors are achieving nothing other than causing Vestas extra costs and no doubt putting in question any further investment by Vestas on the island. Why would any multi national invest in a place which has camps outside its property preventing the legitimate smooth operation of R&D activity at St Cross.
The personal attacks on the management at Vestas are disgraceful and untrue.
I hope the day of action is the final action in this pointless protest and the the paid protestors pack up their tents and go home.
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Well Robert,
Pray tell, as you know so much, which of us is getting paid to protest over the loss of jobs on the Island. Of innocent sacked and redundant workers who were led up the garden path by Vestas of having ‘jobs for life’. Then ditched at the drop of a hat?!!
If you cared to be more observant! You would see that the majority of supporters are Islanders and therefore, when they pack up their tents will still be – at home!!
With regard to the camps! Actually these are nowhere near to the entrances used by the ‘Clean-Up Team’ who are able to enter and leave without difficulty, as are the Management! If with your eyes you see differently to others, might I suggest you book an ‘Eye Test’
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innocent sacked and redundent workers……story of millions of people lives in this country for a very long time.
Its called running a company in a difficult economic climate…Vesta only did what companies do every single day…look after the interest of their board or/and directors/investors. A company isn’t set up to look after its employees..it is there to make money…Unions can hope to negotiate reasonable conditions, but at the end of the day Vestas set their company up to make money, have provided employment for a number of years, taken investment wherever it comes from and now moved to greener fields…its what companies do….and an ideal Tory model.
Looking for someone to blame is pointless and full of ‘what ifs’.
What we have to do now is safeguard the remaining Vestas jobs and encourage this council to somehow encourage more investment in the Island…something I hold no hope for from this lot.
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not very GREEN was it eh?! lol
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You never know maybe when the island people get the confidence to stand up for their rights with decent working pay and conditions, the companies will actually accept that they cant treat people like something on the bottom of their shoe. The Danish Vestas workers were especially appalled by what has been happening as workers actually have a voice over there and Vestas don’t seem to have a problem treating them with respect. It is naive to think that all employers will treat people fairly they will always try to get the best deal for themselves so why should workers not fight for their own corner?
An island full of employers that freeload of their employees is not what i call a healthy economy.
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Leanne I think you are being rather niaive and very selective in what you say.
Were over 1000 Danish employees not made redundant too? This was announced at the same time as the island redundancies but they did not have the buffer of the statutory 90 day consultation period that exists in the UK andthey were actually dispensed with far more quickly than IOW employees. Maybe that has something to do with why there appears to
And, correct me if I’m wrong, but Vestas had the reputation of being one of the highest payers on the island? So I don’t quite understand your comment about decent working pay, although the agenda of the protestors does seem to be very, er, fluid and often contradictory?!
(Why are they fighting so hard about jobs thay apparently hated and didn’t pay them enough? Or is that not REALLY what it’s all about – it’s become very hazy over the weeks!)
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Yes you are right danish employees were also made redundant but with enhanced redundancy packages which I think may have made the difference. As for the bad pay I did not actually state Vestas payed bad wages(unlike a lot of other island employers)although I am sure that one of the reasons they located to the island was that islanders accept a lower rate of pay compared to the rest of the country you only have to cross the solent to see wages rise quite dramatically for the same positions.
As for being contradictory i don’t think it is that hard to understand that hard working people will do the best for their families even if this includes having to work for employers that refuse to hear the workers voices and use bullying tactics.
Just because they pay a decent wage does not mean that they treat people with respect, lets be realistic if Vestas had treated there workers with a little dignity over the years I am sure that the workers would not have felt quite so disgruntled and caused them all this trouble, it must have taken a lot for these people to risk losing everything.
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So Vestas in Denmark are a good company whilst Vestas over here are a bad company…I would contend that the difference lies in the political powers and dynamics of its local council, not the company
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Interesting comment Leanne, what are you suggesting; all Island workers unite and stand up against their ‘freeloading’ employers. Sounds like a great plan, lets cripple the Island ecomomy completely ……. workers unite, down tools, occupy your work places, throw the management out and live in a world where everyone is equal and the ‘workers’ control everything. I could be wrong but hasn’t that approach been tried before and isn’t the result that everyone works harder and become worse off apart from those whose idea it was. Personally, and speaking as a low paid worker, I am grateful to have a job, to be able to contribute to society in a positive way rather than terrorise those who create work, even if they are better off than me, but then I’m just old fashioned like that.
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Now lets not be over dramatic!!!! LOL
Just because I believe that everybody is entitled to be treated with respect does not mean i think everybody should drop tools and go on a crusade!
If nobody ever fought for what is right, what sort of down trodden oppressed country would we live in now. Believe me I am very grateful for the job i have now but that does not mean that I have to put up with everything and anything my employer may throw at me. I have personally experienced some awful situations because of island employers and the arrogance they carry because they know employees have no choice with the lack of jobs on this island.
Please do not try to exaggerate my point of view i do not for one moment think that workers should control everything, but what i do believe is that we all have the right to live in a society where we can go to work with our heads held high and have our opinions taken into account.
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Am I missing something here – these “green” protesters are blocking wind turbines from going to be used somewhere to produce green energy? Is it not cutting off your nose to spite your face?
I’m afraid it seems the workers who made a dignified protest trying to save their jobs on the Island are being forgotten now, as it appears the Vestas issue has been taken over by activists who want to protest for protest sake!
Apologies if I’m missing the point.
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I don’t really think the few wind turbines that are being temporarily postponed from moving by the campaigners are really going to have a damaging effect on the fight against climate change! Do you really think that Vestas closing quietly would have had a better outcome for the island than the way this campaign has pushed the council to work towards all their eco promises?
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which eco promises has this debarcle pushed the council towards?
It has only served to push a bigger wedge between Vestas and the Island..which must be putting the remaining employees future at risk
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The council have a whole Eco island policy that they dreamt up two years ago. But I haven’t seen much going on so far have you? This campaign has pushed Ed Miliband to come to the island and make it a priority to secure green jobs, are you trying to tell me this would have happened anyway! The TUC have passed an emergency motion to put the islands struggles at the forefront of its agenda for the next year, do you really think the island would be receiving this sort of support for its economy without the campaign! No you may not be able to actually physically see any progress at the moment but you would hope that if these powers have promised to focus on the island there will be some progress for green jobs in the near future.
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Is there anything
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